Results:
Eighty-two cases were recruited, 50 cases were males and 32 were females. Their mean age was 57.2±15.23 years. Fifty cases (61%) were negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 while 32 cases (39%) were positive.
The mean hospital stay in days were 14±4.14 days. Sixty-four cases (78%) were recovered and discharged home while 18 cases (22%) died within 2 weeks of follow up.
There was significant difference between Covid 19 and non Covid patients regarding smoking (p=0.01) while there was no significant difference between both groups regarding sex, diabetes, hypertension or cardiac disease (table 1).
Regarding radiological examination, there was a high significant difference between both groups in the context of lung congestion in X ray with more congestion profile in Covid 19 patients (p=0.0004). In CT chest, there was more consolidation and ground glass appearance among Covid 19 patients (p<0.001) for each, while they had less pleural effusion than Covid 19 negative patients (p=0.026).
Concerning lung ULS, there was more A profile among Covid 19 group and more abnormal A lines among them with statistically significant difference between both groups (p<0.001) for both items(table 2).
-Linear regression analysis for the independent predictors for being Covid 19 positive was done (table 3). Smoking, congestion in x ray,A profile and abnormal A lines in lung ULS are independent predictors for Covid 19 infection.
-A scoring system for prediction of Covid 19 diagnosis using clinical and radiological data was calculated (table 4). Score cutoff value was determined to = 5 with a sensitivity of 93.8% and a specificity of 58% in detecting COVID19 positive patients (Figure 1)& (table 5).
By performing the correlation between clinical, laboratory and radiological factors in Covid 19 positive patients on one side and mortality and duration of hospital stay on the other side, we found the following (table 6):
-There was significant positive correlation between mortality and each of age, duration of fever, presence of cardiac disease including hypertension, presence of B profile and abnormal A lines by lung ULS.
-There was significant negative correlation between mortality and each of initial O2 saturation and EF by echocardiography.
-There was significant positive correlation between duration of hospital stay and abnormal A lines.